• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
RTEC Treecare

RTEC Treecare

Expert Tree Care in the DC Metro Area | Call 703-573-3029 to talk to a Tree Care Expert.

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Serve
      • Government
      • Commercial Environmental Services
      • Residential
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
    • Our Core Values
    • Testimonials
  • Plant Health Care
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Careers
    • We Are an Equal Opportunity Employer
    • We Welcome Veterans and Military Service Members
    • RTEC Benefits
    • RTEC Is Now Hiring
  • Blog
  • 703-573-3029
  • Contact Us

Tree Problems: Common Ailments and What To Do About Them

Resources: Tree Problems

Urban and suburban trees often get pests and diseases that require treatment. Because they live in a different environment from forest trees, these problems are often perpetuated by environmental and seasonal conditions.

So how do you solve your tree problems? What common diseases could your trees get? Are there ways to solve these problems without removing the entire tree?

The good news is that there are ways to ensure that your plants stay healthy from their root growth to their tree trunks to their crowns. Read on to learn about different tree diseases, pests, and other problems and how to mitigate them.

Powdery Mildew

One of the most common fungal diseases trees can get is powdery mildew. You can tell if your tree has this issue by the powdery white covering evident on the leaves.

Over time, this fungus spreads, causing the leaves to become distorted and discolored, and eventually, they will fall away from the tree even if it’s not time for the tree to shed its leaves for the winter.

Crape myrtles, dogwoods, and lilacs are especially susceptible to this. If you have these species in your landscape, we highly recommend a Canopy Protection Program, which allows our experts to keep a close eye on these trees and proactively address fungal issues before they cause damage.

Our approach to powdery mildew and other plant health care issues is to examine your trees on a regular basis to ensure your trees stay in the best health possible. We check shady areas especially well, as this is where powdery mildew often grows.

Don’t panic if you do find powdery mildew on your trees! While it will take some time to eliminate the damage that’s already been done to your foliage, we can treat your trees and shrubs to prevent the powdery mildew from spreading to the new growth or to nearby species.

Anthracnose

This common fungal disease is very common in our area, as one of its host species is the dogwood – the state tree of Virginia, and a landscape staple in the DMV. It is also common in other deciduous trees such as sycamores, oaks, and ash trees.

As with other fungal diseases, we rely on a proactive approach to treating anthracnose. If you suspect that your tree has anthracnose, keep an eye out for dark leaf spots, cupping of the leaves, and leaves dropping before their time.

Cold and wet spring conditions exacerbate this problem, as the excess moisture provides the perfect environment for the fungus to grow.

A good practice you can do at home to control the spread of anthracnose is to rake up fallen leaves and dispose of them. You can also ensure to clean up any grass clippings after you or your lawn mowers have finished mowing, which prevents the roots from being exposed to too much moisture, reducing the risk of fungal diseases like anthracnose.

Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive species that causes mass destruction to Ash trees throughout the United States. They cause the most harm when they are in the larva stage of their lifespan by feeding on your trees.   

An indication that Emerald Ash Borer has gotten ahold of your tree is a slow canopy decline. Oftentimes this starts at the crown of the tree and works its way down. Other signs include increased woodpecker activity and bark splitting, exposing “S” shaped galleries beneath the bark. Other beacons can be “D” shaped exit holes and sprouts from the trunk and roots of the tree.

Preventative care is the only way to ensure your ash tree does not succumb to this disease. Once your tree is infested, the decline is inevitable. It is crucial to catch it before it’s too late. Through our Canopy Protection Program, you can get regular inspections that will ensure that our experts are on-site scanning your property for pests like this.

Resolve Your Tree Problems Today

Your urban and suburban trees need a little extra care to stay healthy, grow tall, and live longer. Preventive care to maintain tree health is important to keeping your yard safe and beautiful. While prevention is always key, if you have a sick or damaged tree, RTEC can help you keep the affected tree from getting worse and prevent the spread to healthy trees nearby. There are a myriad of other tree problems not mentioned in this brief article that RTEC can help with, including:

  • Drought stress
  • Oak wilt
  • Soil compaction
  • And other common issues

Our certified arborists will help your trees grow strong through prevention of pests and diseases, regular tree and soil maintenance, and a customized treatment plan.

Contact us today at 703.573.3029 to talk to us about how we can help you with your tree problems!

Primary Sidebar

Find a Certified Arborist in Your Area!

Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

Resources Library

  • Tree Trimming
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Tree Problems
  • Environmental Services
  • Seasonal Tree Care

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADDRESS:
2828 Mary Street
Falls Church, VA 22042

EMAIL: admin@rtectreecare.com
PHONE: 703.573.3029

Copyright © 2022 · RTEC Tree Care · All Rights Reserved

  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  • Privacy Policy
  • COOKIE POLICY